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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Hey hey! Look whose sporting black and white stripes again! I am really loving this heavy ponte and bought enough of it to make a dress...(which I did here) and have plenty left over to also make an asymmetrical skirt. My inspiration came from this skirt that I pinned on Pinterest. (the link goes nowhere...sorry)

Cute, isn't it!? I searched for a pattern but kept coming up short....but the more I studied this picture to make a pattern for myself the more I decided that it wasn't quite right for me. I felt that it was too short and that if I made it longer the two points would look odd right at my knees. Then I decided that I didn't really like the shape of the hemline at all and my desire to make it waned.

Then Burdastyle contacted me with an offer to try some of their patterns. I thought...oh yeah...Burdastyle... I had downloaded a free pattern from them way back when....I think maybe eight years ago. My daughter actually downloaded it and made a cute top. I thought is was cool but I'm always a late bloomer when it comes to technology. As you may have noticed, I don't tend to download and print many patterns but I am trying to because I do see the benefits! Pattern in my hands instantly! Hot off the presses when inspiration strikes! I could get into that!

I have quite a few of their magazines, which I LOVE! The styling and sample garments are gorgeous! But, you know what's worse than taping a pattern together..? Tracing one from the mag.... my attention span and I just can't do it no matter how hard we try! So, I browsed their patterns and found so many that I liked....no surprise. I have seen so many beautiful makes by my fellow bloggers and I love their styling!

When I came across this pattern for a bikini top and sarong I knew it would work for the skirt I wanted. The pattern is actually for an underskirt and separate sarong. I simply cut out the front and back pieces of the underskirt and the front piece of the sarong. I sewed the front piece of the sarong into the side seam of the underskirt and finished the waist with a wide soft elastic that turns to the inside. The skirt called for a side zip but I omitted it because this fabric had lots of stretch to accommodate pulling it on and off.

In these pictures, you can see where I played with the striped binding. The simpler one appealed to me more for some reason. I found that when I tried it on, the one with the stripes along the bottom made me look very boxy...not a flattering look. It had great hanger appeal but no body appeal for me.

A few thoughts on Burdastyle patterns....I love the styling and sample garments! The pattern was easy to download and I printed it at my local office supply store. I jumped in two feet and cut out the pieces...totally forgetting to add the seam allowance!! Ahhhh!!!! I realized that this wasn't a problem because I wanted negative ease with this knit fabric. Whew. While I didn't use the instructions due to the changes I made...I did read through them. They made sense but I did miss having pictures to look at. I think that the final product is worth pushing through the instructions and most experienced sewers probably won't need more than the all text instructions. I have read other reviewers say that Burdastyle instructions are improved and I'm so glad because there are so many gorgeous patterns to try. If you want to try one of their patterns for yourself, this weekend Burdastyle is having a Christmas in July sale. A great time to get great savings of 50% on featured fall patterns and instructional videos.

I love the look of this new skirt! I have worn it so much already and I'm pretty pleased to have found a pattern that worked for it to go from inspiration to hanging in my closet. How much do you seek outside inspiration when you sew?

Disclaimer: While I was gifted this pattern, I was free to choose the pattern I wanted to try. I also purchased my own fabric and all opinions are enthusiastically my own!

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Hey everyone! I'm kinda excited about this post...this little top has pulled me waaaaay out of my comfort zone! I started to make McCall's 7133 top on a whim, knowing that I would also make a VERY high waisted skirt to wear with it to hide the fact that it is a crop top. I just thought that I certainly couldn't pull off a crop top at my age.

So I did just that, made the top and skirt. As you can see in the pictures below....meh.....

Yeah...not really loving it. Too much of this pattern, maybe? In hindsight, I think that a high waisted pencil skirt would have been better. I just find the whole ensemble overwhelming.

Anywaaaays....moving on...

I thought, why not (for kicks) just try the top with my high waisted nautical jeans. Bam! I was surprised at how much I liked it and what surprised me even more was the confidence I had while wearing it! Who knew!? Another surprise was that my typically conservative hubby preferred the trousers over the skirt. He thought the skirt was too matchy matchy.

well paaardoooon me....call the fashion police

(ok....he was absolutely right!)

So on to the pattern.... and my review.

Pattern: McCalls 7133

Fabric used: A tropical print cotton sateen.

Instructions: The instructions were great. This is rated as easy and I found that to be true. It isn't lined which was nice for a summer top and much easier to sew.

Changes I made: I removed the center back seam. I keep making this change to my makes lately...I REALLY don't like unnecessary CB seams. I used an invisible zipper in the side seam instead of the back. I can easily pull the top on and off and it just made much more sense to move the zip.

Repeat worthy: Yes! I am already planning a navy blue one!

The skirt is McCalls 6706. Any of you following me for a while, know that I have made this skirt many times before and can head over to my gallery to find one and a review for it.

After I tried the jeans, I thought I would try my wide legged, high waisted, off white pants. I think this outfit would be perfect for our next trip south. It has a tropical vibe to it and I can totally see myself wearing it to dinner in a resort setting.

So...may I ask... pants or matchy matchy skirt? What if I remade the skirt into a high waisted pencil skirt? Would that be better than the full skirt?
I like the jeans and hubby likes the white pants. What do you think? I'm also open to more styling ideas if you have any! I'm thinking...my lace Copy Cat skirt or maybe I'll really go all out and pair it with culottes like the pattern! Now we are really stepping outside the comfort zone!

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About Me

Hi! I'm Margo and welcome to my blog! I love clothes and I love to sew...sounds like a match made in heaven...right? Well not everything that comes out of my sewing room is all I dreamed it to be... so this is where I document my projects as I strive to perfect my skills....in both sewing and design.... creating in the gap of where I am now and where I want to be.

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**All content and images (except those marked otherwise) are the property of Margo Bergman/ Creating In The Gap. If you want to feature something somewhere (with a linked credit of course), all you need to do is ask first via margoannbergman@gmail.com